Chapter one
I checked the address again on the last text that she sent to me. "1231 Kaysin Street. B there @ 11:30. Don't B late. Ask 4 CherylS @ the desk." I checked my watch. It was 11:25. The building was non-descript. It was just a large white box with a covered driveway in the front.
A small painted sign hung from the awning that said "Circus" with a smiling clown face and the address printed below. There was no one else visible from the street in front of the building.
"What the fuck" I thought, "No guts, no glory."
I pulled my 735 into the driveway and up to the front of the building. Black glass doors with chrome fixturing were the only break in the building faΓ§ade.
I stopped my car in front of the doors. As soon as the engine died, the entrance door opened and a small man dressed in a white tux ran out and around to my car door. I could barely see the top of his bald head as he opened my door and ushered me out.
He handed me a receipt and held his hand out for the keys. I hesitated for a second. The sight was just too bizarre for words. He suddenly snatched the keys from my hand, jumped into the front seat and without a word the engine roared to life and with tires screeching he was gone around the corner.
Still undecided as to if I had just been carjacked by a midget or parked by the world's smallest valet, I walked up to the front door. I reached for the chrome handle but it opened inward before I could make contact. Inside there was a single purple light shining down onto a gleaming chrome desk.
Behind the desk was an incredibly beautiful woman wearing a black vinyl body suit. Her blonde hair was pulled into a pony tail so tight that I could almost hear her skin around her eyes screaming to ease the pain.
Her lipgloss was a shining black that caught highlights from the purple light above. She wore no other makeup. A single silver cross hung around her neck and lay between her vinyl covered breasts as if to ward off any evil.
She brought an iPad up from under the desk and said "code in, sir" while turning the screen for me to see. There was a keypad on the screen, and I stared at it for a moment while trying to figure out what code she was talking about. Then I remembered the test message and typed "CherylS".
The screen went blank, and for a moment I thought that I had done something wrong. Suddenly there was a break in what I had initially thought was a solid black wall behind the blonde woman.
The break became an opening spilling out blinding yellow light. Out of the opening came another woman. This one dressed in a grey three piece suit. With her sensible shoes and horn rimmed glasses she looked for the entire world like she had just left her job as Vice President of something or other at the local bank before coming to Circus.
Cradled in her left arm was a portfolio which she opened as she stepped behind the desk. "Sir my name is Landry, and I will be your escort until your host arrives" she said. "Are you in possession of a phone, camera or any other recording device on your person?" she asked while looking up at me and adjusting her glasses.
I told her that I had my iPhone. She held out a perfectly manicured hand and asked that I please give it to her for the length of my stay. I removed it from my jacket pocket and was about to ask her for the reason when she snatched it away from me quicker than I would have thought possible and dropped it into a silver pouch.
On the front of the pouch was a photograph of my face that must have been taken as I stood in front of the desk. The pouch disappeared under her coat and then she pointed for me to walk around the desk and follow her through the opening.
The hallway that we walked through was also painted black, and there were more black windows on either side of the hall just below eye level. Every few yards there was chrome light fixture in the ceiling from which shone the annoying yellow light. At the end of the hall was another door.
This one was easy to discern as it had a huge chrome lockbox below the ornate knob. From her pocket, my guide produced an enormous silver key that she slid silently into the lockbox slot. After a few seconds the door opened. I was slightly relieved that there appeared to be no unpleasant surprises behind the door.
The room that we entered was large and had many doors. There was an opening just to our right and my guide walked up and pressed a button just to the right. A very tall man appeared. He was also dressed in a white tuxedo. He had to stoop to look through the opening. My escort opened her portfolio and said "zero three three eight alpha sierra tango."
Somehow the code worked as the tall man left for a moment and then came back with three items; a plain white towel, a plastic cup and a small rectangle of black plastic on a silver chain. I was observing the items but at the same time thinking about the code she had given him. Something about it rang familiar to me.
Landry handed me all three items and turned the portfolio for me to observe.
"Please sign here sir that you have received your towel, cup and key" she said as she handed me a silver pen.
I signed where it seemed appropriate. She checked the signature, nodded her head and turned toward the far wall.
"Please hold your key in front of you and press down on the middle with your thumb" she directed.
I did as asked and one of the doors on the far wall opened. She stepped in front of me and recited in a clipped voice "You understand that once you enter, you cannot return to this area. Once inside your room you are to remove all items of clothing and place them in the locker inside of your room. You will then wait in the room until the monitor in your room activates. You will receive further instructions from the monitor."
"While you are in the room you are encouraged to read the materials provided to you in the room. There is a shower and a sink in your room. There are also drinks and ice." She looked down at the plastic cup in my hand.
"You are encouraged to shower so that you are as clean as possible. Soap and shampoo are in the shower stall. When you depart your room, please leave the cup and the towel. Place your key chain around your neck and under no circumstances are you to remove it until directed otherwise."
With that she turned her back to me and began to stride briskly back to the yellow lit hall. She hesitated a moment and looked back over her shoulder at me. The bank VP was gone. In her place was a grinning imp who barked a short laugh and said "enjoy your visit, sir."
Then she was gone and I was wondering what the fuck I had gotten myself into this time.
Chapter two
I stood for just a moment while deciding what I should do next. Since there was no way that I was going to follow that vapid bitch up the yellow hall that left me with only one choice. I entered the open door and took a moment to check out what was before me. To the left there was a black and chrome lounge chair.
On a black marble table beside the chair were several folders that I assumed contained the reading material that my guide had referenced. Also on the table was a glass pitcher with what looked like chilled water, a bottle of my favorite vodka and a bowl of ice cubes.
In the back of the room was another door with a chrome handle. Beside the door was a small monitor. On the blue screen was the single word "Pending". To my right was a full length locker with a metal door that was open. Beside the locker was a shower stall.
I decided that a shower would feel pretty good and maybe clear my head a little. I removed my jacket, shirt and pants and hung them carefully in the locker. My boxers and socks went into a small flat drawer, along with my wallet and the receipt for the car. There was a shelf for my shoes near the bottom.
Upon entering the shower stall I noticed that there was a sink at the back of the shower that contained soap, shampoo, deodorant, comb and tooth brush with tooth paste. Every surface was immaculately cleaned and gleaming. Every item was placed in perfect order. Beside the sink was a low toilet that I had not noticed before because it too was black.
After making use of all of the available facilities, I wrapped the damp towel around my waist and lay on the lounge chair. I had no idea how long I was going to be here so I took the time to first pour two fingers of vodka into my cup with three ice cubes and then look at the folders that were beside the chair.
The first folder contained several eight by ten glossy photographs of very exotically dressed men and women who shared one common attribute, all were wearing some type of mask.